Changing of the guard at Lakeland Regional Health

Wednesday

Elaine Thompson to retire as head of Polk's largest medical center and facilities. Named as successor is Danielle Drummond, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

LAKELAND — Elaine C. Thompson is retiring from her post as president and CEO of the Lakeland Regional Health system that includes Polk County's largest hospital and facilities specializing in the treatment of cancer and the health of women and children.

Thompson's exit is scheduled for Dec. 31, 2020, when her current contract expires, according to Laura Hawley, who chairs Lakeland Regional Health's board of directors.

“We are both thrilled to announce Danielle Drummond's new role as president and CEO and saddened to wind down our time under the exceptional leadership of Elaine Thompson,” Hawley said in a statement released Wednesday morning.

Thompson, 63, who was hired in 2010 to lead the nonprofit hospital in Lakeland, gave notice of her intention to step down in a Feb. 25 letter to her board, saying she would be spending more time with family and exploring new challenges. Her announcement followed a year-long alliance with Orlando Health that ended at the request of LRH.

LRH Medical Center remains the second-largest medical facility in the Tampa Bay region, second only to Tampa General Hospital.

As of 2017, Thompson was paid more than $1.37 million in annual salary and other compensation, according to federal income tax filings.

Thompson spearheaded a number of growth strategies and improvements, including expansion of the Hollis Cancer Center and creation of the Carol Jenkins Barnett Pavilion for Women and Children; the Bannasch Institute for Advanced Rehabilitation Medicine; and the Grasslands Ambulatory Campus. The combined investment of all four projects was $350 million, according to LRH.

Interviewed Wednesday afternoon at her downtown Lakeland office, Thompson said she's proudest of having redesigned functions of the medical center's emergency room, which today is considered the nation's largest single-site emergency room in terms of visits. She said the busy nature of the ER is a result of the hospital's location on the Interstate 4 corridor and a large percentage of impoverished or under-insured residents in Polk seeking free services for urgent health care needs.

Thompson credited her successes to the entire hospital team, including her board, staff and physicians.

"It's all about the people," she said. "It's been such an honor to work for this board — people of knowledge, passion. Everyone plays a critical role. I think we have wonderful doctors. I want to be humble in saying I'm proudest of being able to work for that team."

During Thompson's tenure, LRH faced a period of declining profits beginning in 2012, according to financial filings with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, a clearinghouse for financial information in the municipal securities market.

Lakeland Regional's operating income, equivalent to a profit for a private company, has shrunk 98% from $41.4 million in 2012 to $888,000 in fiscal year 2018.

LRH's financial struggles, while not unique to not-for-profit hospital operators given rising costs and other challenges, led Thompson to seek a merger with Orlando Health in February 2017. The marriage lasted only one year.

With roughly 18 months left as CEO, Thompson said she has no plans to enter into another partnership and noted that recent changes to Florida law that opens the door to increased competition will give her successor plenty to grapple with.

In her current role, Drummond, who has been with LRH since 2013, oversees the medical center, a physician group of more than 200 doctors and advanced care practitioners, the Hollis Cancer Center, facility design and construction, strategic planning, growth initiatives and more.

She is credited with helping facilitate the Clark & Daughtrey Medical Group transition when it joined LRH. She oversaw expansion of the Hollis Cancer Center and conceived the Barnett Pavilion for Women and Children.

Before joining LRH, Drummond was with Main Line Health System for eight years, most recently at an academic hospital in suburban Philadelphia, Lankenau Medical Center. She has a master's degree in healthcare technology management from Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin, and an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.

Last year, Drummond was recognized by Modern Healthcare magazine as one of the nation's top 25 COOs in the healthcare industry. Among her accomplishments listed by LRH was "Maintenance of a strong operating margin to manage provision of care with an engaged and productive workforce, despite increasing patient volumes, a decline in state Medicaid reimbursement rates, and unplanned personnel expenses incurred during Hurricane Irma."

Drummond said that she looks forward to the challenges ahead and to "continue to work on identifying how we need to evolve our portfolio of services so that patients can stay in Lakeland."

Eric Pera can be reached at eric.pera@theledger.com or 863-802-7528.

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